This application is based on application No. 9-933 filed Jan. 7, 1997 in Japan, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system, and more particularly to an image forming system which forms an image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method and is capable of folding and stapling the sheet with an image thereon.
2. Description of Related Art
In the art of image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machines, laser printers and the like, recently, various types of devices which automatically handle sheets on which images have been formed, which are called finishers, have been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 4-320896 has disclosed an art of folding a copy of a cover in two, inserting copies of contents in the folded cover and stapling the set of copies near the fold.
Incidentally, when copies are to be confidential documents or to be a personal letter for protection of privacy, the images must be folded and closed inside. However, in conventional copying machines and finishers, copies are folded in two with the formed images outside and are stapled along the fold, and the purpose of protecting privacy cannot be achieved.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system which is capable of automatically finishing copies as confidential documents or as a personal letter for protection of privacy.
In order to attain the object, an image forming system according to the present invention comprises: image forming means for forming an image on a sheet by an electro-photographic method; folding means which is capable of folding a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming means in two; stapling means for stapling a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming means; selecting means for selecting a confidential mode; and control means which, when the confidential mode is selected, controls the folding means and the stapling means to fold a sheet in two with the formed image inside and to staple the folded sheet along a side opposite the fold.
In the structure, when the confidential mode is selected, a sheet on which an image has been formed is folded with the image inside, and the folded sheet is stapled along a side opposite the fold. Thereby, the image is folded and closed inside, and the contents are not open. Thus, confidential or private matters can be concealed from others.
Further, by stamping a word such as xe2x80x9cPERSONALxe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cCONFIDENTIALxe2x80x9d or the like on the reverse side, it can be made clear that the sheet is confidential